UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

Faculty Senate
Approved Minutes
18 October, 2000

 

1. Call to Order:

The meeting was called to order at 3:04 p.m.

2. Roll Call and Agenda Approval:

Present: Dagenais, Gifford, Hill, Spector, Blackwell, Bowers, I. Brown, R. Brown, Cohen, Comstock, Hitt, Kwiatkowski, Matheson, Mozur, Payne, Rogers, Shardo, Ryder, Garmon, Rowe, Bailey, Broughton, McIntosh, Strange, Olsen, Sylvester, Murray, Norman, Benoit, Boggs, Kayes, Perkins, Tuck-Muller, Wilson, Beatty, Bracken, Hsu, Swofford, DeWitt, Temple

Absent (Excused): Kimbell, Miller, Morris, White, Vest, Ellis, Wheeler, Teplick, Townsley, Wesenberg, Broome, Weitzel

Absent (Unexcused): Parker, Baker, Cepeda, Cox, Derbin, Sternberg, Stevens, Stubbs

The agenda was approved.

3. Approval of Minutes:

The minutes from the September 20, 2000 Faculty Senate meeting were presented and approved with minor corrections.

4. Report from the Chair and Communication from the President:

Chairman Rogers reported:

Senator Wesenberg will be incapacitated for a while due to an accident.

His impressions of the recent retreat between University administrators and Faculty Senators.

The Senate may have to consider a computer usage policy soon.

The Ad Hoc committee on the University’s budgeting process should meet soon.

No meeting with the President had been held since the last Senate meeting.

Chairman Rogers also asked if the recruitment and retention committee had any reaction to the Administrations recent report.

5. Reports from Standing Committees:

Evaluation Committee:

No report

Planning Committee:

Senator Dagenais indicated that two resolutions would be discussed as new business. The committee has begun looking into the issues of inadequate signage on the campus and campus traffic.

Policy and Handbook Committee:

Senator R. Brown stated that the committee had met and discussed intellectual property rights issues. A resolution concerning faculty service and development awards was introduced later in the meeting.

Salary and Fringe Benefits Committee: Senator Strange reported for Senator Townsley. He reported on the following items:

The proposed dental plan did not have enough subscribers and, therefore, will not be adopted.

The web page explaining faculty benefits is almost ready.

The committee is looking at possible changes in the University medical insurance plan. There may be changes in cost and or benefits. The plan administrator may also be changed.

Discussions are continuing relative to the vacation policy.

6. Reports From Caucus Leaders:

Allied Health: Met with Dean and discussed vacation policy. Caucus leader indicated some concern over the lack of a search process for a new Dean.

A & S: Caucus met with the Dean briefly on an informal basis.

CIS: No report.

Cont. Ed.: The caucus plans to start monthly meetings with the Dean.

Education: Caucus met with the Dean. Meetings are held once a month.

Engineering: No report.

Library: Caucus met with Directors in July. No meeting since.

Medicine: No report. Noted that replacements for two senators are needed.

MCOB: Caucus leader read report on recent vote of no confidence (attachment 1).

Nursing: Caucus has not met with the Dean.

7. Old Business:

A resolution concerning computer and software access requirements was discussed.

Resolution: The Senate votes to support the computer and software access requirements proposed by the Office of Academic Affairs.

Resolution passed. (21 for, 14 against)

A resolution concerning monetary impacts of computer and software access requirements was also discussed.

Resolution: The Senate requests that any savings which result from the implementation of the computer and software access requirements be spent to expand the use and availability of educational technologies for USA students and faculty.

Resolution passed. (32 for , 4 against)

A resolution concerning sabbatical policies was also discussed.

Resolution: The Senate adopts the sabbatical policy proposed by the Policy and Faculty Handbook Committee as distributed at the September meeting.

The amended policy is attached (attachment 2). This amended policy passed. (38 for, none against)


8. New Business:

Senator Dagenais introduced two resolutions concerning graduate student stipends and ombudsmen to assist with the faculty grievance process (attachments 3 and 4).

Senator Ryder introduced a resolution concerning the current distance learning agreement between faculty and administration. This resolution will be discussed during the next Senate meeting (attachment 5).

Emily Hebert, SGA president, discussed possible changes to graduation ceremonies. Several Senators discussed pros and cons of some of the changes. No formal action was taken on this issue.


9. Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 4:43 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted by:

R. Bracken, Secretary

 


Attachment 1

Report to the Faculty Senate From the MCOB Caucus Leader:

1. As reported in the Mobile Register and the Vanguard, the tenured faculty of MCOB expressed no confidence in Dean Carl Moore by a 12-4 vote. The votes were counted by a member of the Faculty Senate from outside of MCOB and the tenured faculty would like to thank the individual and the Faculty Senate for providing us this service.

2. I have been asked by the tenured faculty to correct two errors in the reporting on this vote.

a. The original response from Dean Moore dated 21 September 2000 was not received by the tenured faculty until 25 September 2000. The tenured faculty did respond promptly to Dean Moore’s memo stating reasons for the tenured faculty’s lack of confidence.

b. There are 20 tenured faculty members in MCOB, not 22 as reported.

3. The tenured faculty has heard nothing further from Dean Moore concerning the faculty concerns.

4. The entire faculty of MCOB did have a meeting with Mr. Moulton.

a. Mr. Moulton asked that we work through channels.

b. There do not seem to be any established channels to work through in such matters.

5. The MCOB Faculty Senators and Dean Moore have not met this academic year.


Attachment 2

University of South Alabama Sabbatical Policy

Approved by the Faculty Senate October 18, 2000

The University of South Alabama encourages eligible faculty to apply for sabbatical leaves for the purposes of professional growth, development or renewal. Such activities would include planned travel, study, foreign education, research, writing, or other professional experience that promises to enhance their professional skills and standing and, by extension, their usefulness to the University.

Eligibility: Full-time tenured faculty who have completed six or more years of continuous service at the University of South Alabama without having received leave with pay, or who have served for six years following the completion of a previous leave with pay, are eligible to apply for sabbatical leave. In exceptional cases, clinical or other non-tenure-track faculty with at least six years of continuous service may also apply for sabbatical leave, pending the approval of the appropriate chair and division head.

The University will endeavor to approve any legitimate request by eligible faculty with the clear goal of and a reasonable plan for enhancing their scholarship or professional skills.

Compensation: Sabbatical recipients may take a leave for one semester at full salary or for two semesters at half-salary. In extraordinary cases, leaves may be granted for less than a full semester with full pay, subject to the approval of the appropriate division head and the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Although external grants or other outside funding are permitted subject to standard university regulations applying to all faculty, the compensation for the period of the leave should not be greater than the total university salary would have been plus a reasonable allowance for relocating and meeting the costs of living in the new location. The University is not responsible for providing travel or other living expenses incurred by the recipient.

Benefits and Credited Service: Faculty on sabbatical are eligible for salary increases and promotions as they would be were they not on sabbatical. They will receive credit for time in rank for promotion. All fringe benefits due the recipient will continue in full force during the leave.

Replacements and Deferrals: Sabbatical leaves normally will be financed through departmental and divisional budgets. The University will make every effort to insure that such leaves do not unduly burden the recipient’s colleagues or affect course offerings or other instructional needs. Ordinarily no more than 20% of any department should be on sabbatical or voluntary leave at a given time. The University encourages departments to replace faculty who opt to take a leave of two semesters at half-pay with qualified temporary appointments. Any salary relinquished by sabbatical recipients should be made available to compensate temporary replacements.

Sabbatical recipients may for legitimate reasons defer an approved sabbatical leave for up to one year. In the event that a sabbatical recipient is asked by his or her chair, division head or the VPAA to defer an approved leave, the recipient will be eligible for a subsequent award following five years of full-time service after the end of the leave, rather than six.

Responsibilities: Sabbatical recipients must return to the university for at least one academic year following the leave, or they must reimburse the University for all salary and benefits received from the University while on sabbatical. Recipients are to submit a report summarizing their activities and achievements during the sabbatical no later than the end of the first semester following their return from leave.


Attachment 3

Faculty Senate Resolution on Graduate Student Stipends

WHEREAS the University of South Alabama has not increased the amount of Graduate Student Stipends in over ten years

WHEREAS the recruitment and retention of talented, capable Graduate Students is often dependent upon the University’s ability to provide stipends

WHEREAS the University’s ability to compete with other institutions for quality students is dependent upon the amount of stipends

BE IT RESOLVED that the University of South Alabama Faculty Senate requests that the stipend amounts allotted for Graduate Students be increased such that academically strong, competent and viable Graduate Students can be recruited and retained by the institution. Furthermore, the amount of stipends should be reviewed on an annual basis such that the University remains competitive in attracting quality students.

 

Attachment 4

Faculty Senate Resolution on Creation of Ombudsmen to Assist With the Faculty Grievance Process

WHEREAS the initiation of a Faculty grievance may be intimidating for Faculty members

WHEREAS there may be alternative routes for faculty to pursue when considering initiating a Faculty grievance

WHEREAS Faculty members, especially newer members, may find it difficult to follow the appropriate procedures involved in the Grievance process

WHEREAS Faculty members may gain moral support by having a senior faculty member mentor them through the Grievance process

BE IT RESOLVED that the University of South Alabama Faculty Senate requests creation of a number of Ombudsmen positions for the purpose of assisting Faculty through the Faculty Grievance Process. Further, that the Faculty members selected for the roles of Ombudsman be selected by Faculty recommendation to the Faculty Senate who will determine, by vote, those to be recommended to the University for appointment. The term of the ombudsman should be three years minimally.

Should there be a statement of no compensation?

How many positions? Six recommended

Any specifics regarding who ombudsmen should be? ie. Male/female. Full Professor?

Maximum term?

 

 

Attachment 5

Faculty Senate Resolution on Distance Learning Issues

 

WHEREAS the current distance learning agreement between faculty and administration was written without appropriate Faculty Senate Review, and

WHEREAS issues of workload, intellectual property rights, academic freedom, legal liability, and the rights of non-tenured faculty related to distance learning have not been properly addressed by the Faculty Senate,

BE IT RESOLVED that a committee be formed to address these issues in order to arrive at a fair and equitable policy.


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